Case Studies#
It’s very important for groups to think about how the building should be used in the future, not how it is used now. That affects what should change about the building.
One of the most important things for groups to realise is that the way the building is currently used or managed won’t necessarily continue in the future - sometimes, the right change is one that also changes these aspects of the building. To help with this thinking, in session 1, we provide two anonymous case studies describing community groups that made major changes. In both cases, the groups had to make what might have been uncomfortable compromises, and the building use isn’t the same as before the change.
To run the activity, the group splits into two. Each half discusses one of them and reports back what change was made and what they thought of it.
The group won’t understand every technical change made to the buildings. Don’t get hung up about this. It’s enough to say we’ll be considering a range of changes in session 2 and they will have more information then.
Here are the features that we hope might come up. If the group is quiet, you may be able to ask about these points.
Case study 1:
The compromise is sharing control of the premises with another organisation. This change can be very emotive for groups, but when buildings are under-used in an area that needs its community spaces, sharing can benefit everyone.
One of the building users, the podiatry clinic, is an unusual example of the new kind of partnerships that form part of the strategy for service delivery in many locales - a different income stream than usual.
staging works takes careful planning to not disrupt the building’s users and hurt your income - and to do things in the most efficient order.
radiant panels are new to many people, but they work for this venue and don’t require lots of heat loss measures.
Case study 2:
The compromise is using a biomass boiler. They are officially carbon neutral, but the UK aspires to only burn biomass in power stations where it can capture the carbon that’s released. They also produce local pollution so aren’t allowed in built-up areas.
When retrofitting a building, it’s not just energy efficiency measures that count - it needs the right amenities for its community.
Sometimes even with a big grant it’s still not possible to pay for everything you know you will eventually need.
It’s often necessary to pay ahead for a small amount of professional advice to get started, but the larger professional fees can be built into the grant itself.